After Plan for Speed Cameras Fails in Albany, a Tirade From Bloomberg

[davidthegnome]

58. The billionaire angel?

As I recall, Clarence wore rags and had an ancient copy of Tom Sawyer as his only real possession beyond that. To lasso the moon was a romantic suggestion - not someone wanting to actually take the moon and put it in their backyard. George Bailey didn't want to rope the moon in, he wanted to go to college, to live an exciting life. Poor shmuck got married instead... but it is generally people like Mr. Potter and Mr. Bloomberg that force people like Mr. Bailey to work for the poor - because someone has to defend them from these predatory plutocrats.

I think it's funny that you compare Bloomberg to Clarence. Have you actually seen the movie? Clarence was a humble, funny little angel that didn't have a dollar in his pocket. Saving George was not an act of force - he jumped in so George would jump in and save him. Also note that Clarence didn't have a thing to say about sodas and tried to order an alcoholic beverage. I cannot find a single similarity between the fictional angel and the very real neo-liberal billionaire, other than the fact that they were both men.

If Bloomberg was an advocate for the poor, if he wasn't famous for actually shutting down the institutions that support them, I might have a very different opinion. Instead of tackling real issues like homelessness and poverty, he wants to stop people from drinking large sodas. Consider the prohibition, or the war on drugs. How successful were either? How successful is the war on drugs now? It is through education and legislation that promotes it, and not through force that we create progress in regards to wellness.

Yet even regarding education, your angel wants to replace public schools with charter schools. Why? Well, because there's money to be made...